Following the news that Naby Keita limped out of training last night, the internet has been awash with the idea that the Guinean is simply prone to injury and his potential won’t be fulfilled.
Obviously, it’s been quite hyperbolic and reactionary, but still – it’s undeniable that our mega-exciting summer signing (purchased in 2017, arrived in 2018) hasn’t yet showed us the full extent of what he’s capable of…
Below, we’ve highlighted how many actual injuries Keita has racked up in comparison to two of Liverpool’s most recently infamously prone players – Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge – over the past two years.
(Keita’s latest potential issue isn’t included…)
NABY KEITA:
ADAM LALLANA:
DANIEL STURRIDGE:
The results are pretty interesting.
In terms of number of injuries, Keita picks up niggling ones regularly. His six separate injuries, again, not counting the one from last night, is one more than Sturridge and Lallana put together.
However, he’s only officially missed 11 games for Liverpool and Rb Leipzig in that period – although that’s largely because he timed his injuries to run over the summer – when we’ve not been playing!
Interestingly, Sturridge didn’t get injured at all last term – but it’s fair to say the damage to his body from previous problems and his inability to sprint meant the end of his Reds tenure.
Lallana has missed 38 games in two seasons – which is an entire Premier League campaign – so his injuries have stopped him being a useful option in our midfield for some time now.